East Delhi may not be as rich as other zones of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and its revenue sources may be less as compared to other areas but when it comes to aspirations of entering the civic body as a councillor, the area is on top of the charts. Hamari Jamatia reports.

East Delhi may not be as rich as other zones of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and its revenue sources may be less as compared to other areas but when it comes to aspirations of entering the civic body as a councillor, the area is on top of the charts.

According to Congress leaders, the maximum number of applications seeking the party tickets for the April 15 MCD polls have come from east Delhi comprising areas such as Patparganj, Shahdara and Laxmi Nagar.

"Of the 6,000 odd applications received, a majority has come from the Trans-Yamuna areas. Almost equally active is the Karol Bagh area," said a senior member of Delhi Congress. The BJP, meanwhile, has not compiled any such list but officials say that they have received more than 7,000 applications.

East Delhi is the constituency of Sandeep Dikshit, the son of chief minister Sheila Dikshit. According to party sources, the area has a huge concentration of Congress supporters and hence the number of application is huge. For each of the 64 wards in the area, mostly comprising unauthorized colonies, the party has received about 25-30 applications per ward.

"Since a large part of east Delhi's population comes from the lower and working classes, the enthusiasm for the electoral process is higher. Fewer applications are received from posh colonies in south Delhi. Compared to south Delhi, east Delhi also reports higher voting percentage," said a Congress leader. East Delhi comprises Shahdara (South) and Shahdara (North), which contributes just 5 per cent of the earnings of the MCD in the form of property tax.

Karol Bagh, which has also sent a huge number of ticket requests, seems to be popular because of its commercial nature. "Commercial areas witness vigorous political activity and political parties also give them due weightage," said another party worker.

Following reservation for women, there has also been a surge in the number of women applying for tickets. For each of the 138 seats reserved for women, the Congress has received an average 15-20 applications per ward.